Firefly
by KuroSakura-chan
Summary: There are more Realms than most are aware of, though Jaenelle has always managed to find her way into all of them. When she admits to having friends from another Realm that Saetan and Daemon didn't know of, they weren't too surprised. Bakura was, though.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Firefly

By: KuroSakura-chan/KuroSakura

Summary: When Jaenelle had been a child, she wandered the Realms. Thus, she met Lucivar, Saetan, and the others. What she hadn't mentioned to anyone was her few trips to another Realm, one that wasn't connected to Terreille, Kaeleer, and Hell the same way. After the war with Dorothea and Hekatah is completed, what will she find in that world she visited so long ago? What has happened to the friend that she made? And how can she help him now?

Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!/Black Jewels

Genre: Angst, Drama, Horror, Tragedy

Couples: Daemon/Jaenelle, Lucivar/Marian, Seto/Bakura, Marik/Ryou, Malik/Otogi,

Warnings: Yaoi, violence, het, 1st Person,

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! nor Anne Bishop's Black Jewels.

…

-Bakura-

Ryou hisses in sympathy when he sees the bruise forming on Jaenelle's head. "I'll get her taken care of, 'Kura, don't worry."

I nod, running a hand over my face. I didn't think I'd ever see Jaenelle again. I hadn't seen her for several years, since she was a child. Hell, since Ryou was a child.

Seto stands in the doorway, his presence reminding me that I had to give my report still. Not that there was much to report. All the same, I stand and follow the ex-CEO from the room, ignoring the throbbing pain coming from my chest. The area the Ring had taken up residence always hurt now. At least it wasn't the blinding, seizure-causing pain anymore.

"Well?" Marik asks when I walk into the main room of our shelter. Zorc still hasn't managed to find it, thankfully. I doubt we'd be able to find another place to hide out in.

I collapse into a chair that Seto points out for me. I am starving, but I can't say that. We don't have enough food as it is, and most of that needed to go to the women, Mokuba, and Ryou. Besides, I went a long time without food in Egypt, so why can't I do it now?

"Zorc was looking for us today, but in a sector on the other side of the city. We're safe for now." I have to add the 'for now.' All of us know that we won't be able to stay hidden from Zorc for too long, but that doesn't mean that we didn't want to try anyway. I am the only one willing to acknowledge our vulnerability, except for Seto. He is nearly as jaded as I am, so he doesn't believe in hope any longer.

"And the woman?" Seto doesn't demand an answer. At least, that's not how it was supposed to sound. It does, of course, sound like a demand. I can understand why he would be worried, though. I've never brought back someone that we couldn't place as another citizen of Domino City. It's dangerous to bring someone that we don't know into the fold.

"Her name's Jaenelle. I met her years ago." I answer, laying my head down on my arms. "She's not from around here."

"Bakura, that's not safe! What if she works for Zorc?" Marik demands, slamming his fist onto the table, making me hiss. My head is killing me, and he has no right to question Jaenelle.

"She doesn't, trust me. The girl doesn't even live in this Realm." I hiss at Marik, clenching my fists. Since he's taken the table away from a pillow option, I had little else to do with my hands. "The last time she was in this Realm, she was about seven years old."

Marik backs down, not wanting me to gut him then and there. The mood I'm in, I probably would've done it too. Seto looks over at me before standing, grabbing my arms and pulling me up. He tugs me through the rooms that make up our underground safe-house until we reach our room. He shoves me onto the bed, which is little more than a mattress on the floor, and kneels next to me. He pushes until I'm laying on my back, then lays beside me, an arm wrapping around my waist. Pulling me close, he kisses the top of my head.

This is something we'd never show the others. Sure, we're both strong individuals who can't stand weakness, but that doesn't mean that we want our entire relationship, because that's what this is now, based on pain that we cause to each other. We have our soft sides, but those are only visible when we're alone.

"Tell me about her." Seto requests softly, his nose still buried in my hair. I wonder briefly about how bad that smells before I give in to his request.

"I met her when she was seven years old...Ryou was six or seven at the time too. I found her wandering in the Shadow Realm, but she wasn't like the others there...She wasn't scared or desperate to find a way out. In fact, she said she was looking for me. Said she heard me calling for a friend for a long time. I don't remember ever calling for a friend, but that didn't seem to matter to her.

"Ryou didn't know about me then. His father had only just brought the Ring back from wherever the hell he got it from, and he hadn't given it to Ryou. That didn't mean that I didn't know about Ryou and who he was, though. But because, at the time, Ryou wasn't my host, Jaenelle and I stayed in the Shadow Realm when she visited. She never stayed more than a couple hours, and I could never follow her back to where she came from, though I tried. I wanted to make sure she was OK. Something about her was different...She made me think that killing the Pharaoh wasn't everything." I pause as the throbbing pain got a bit worse for a moment. Seto seems to sense this, and pulls me closer, pressing our chests together in an attempt to comfort me. "Thanks...Anyway, she visited a lot, then stopped all of a sudden. Once, I heard her scream and call for help, but there wasn't anything I could do, despite my attempts to try. I didn't hear anything from her after that."

Seto doesn't say anything, and I'm grateful. He's always been the type to listen and think about what he's heard, rather than just blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. It's helpful, because I don't think I could deal with someone that didn't think about everything I told them. I say a lot of things in the things I don't say, and Seto knows this, so he listens.

A knock on the door has me sitting up, a dagger in my hand before my brain catches up to tell me that it's Ryou at the door, not someone that means us harm. I sigh and flop back, listening to Seto tell Ryou to enter. "Bakura...She's awake."

A/N: Hi! Let me know what you think? I'd appreciate it very much!


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Firefly

By: KuroSakura-chan/KuroSakura

Summary: When Jaenelle had been a child, she wandered the Realms. Thus, she met Lucivar, Saetan, and the others. What she hadn't mentioned to anyone was her few trips to another Realm, one that wasn't connected to Terreille, Kaeleer, and Hell the same way. After the war with Dorothea and Hekatah is completed, what will she find in that world she visited so long ago? What has happened to the friend that she made? And how can she help him now?

Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!/Black Jewels

Genre: Angst, Drama, Horror, Tragedy

Couples: Daemon/Jaenelle, Lucivar/Marian, Seto/Bakura, Marik/Ryou, Malik/Otogi,

Warnings: Yaoi, violence, het, 1st Person,

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! nor Anne Bishop's Black Jewels.

_Italics_: Flashbacks/dreams

/_italics_/: Mind speak, like Bakura to Ryou, or Daemon to Lucivar

…

-Jaenelle-

_The path is familiar, though I haven't walked it in more years than I'd like to admit to. I can't believe I've forgotten Bakura for so long. He was so kind to me when I visited as a child, and he had needed a friend so much...I'm almost scared to find out what's happened to him._

_The path takes a slightly different route, though I know I chose the path that will lead me straight to Bakura. He must've moved in the years since we last saw each other. It's not surprising, really. He told me that people often moved in his Realm, though even he didn't know why._

_I hope he is well. There was a darkness about him, so dark, I wasn't sure that he'd ever find his way out of it. He started to emerge as we spoke, but I fear that he hasn't had someone to be a good influence on him and bring him from within the darkness._

_I pause, blinking. What is this? This entire place is destroyed...The buildings lie crumbled among each other, like a war has taken place. A large shape is moving in the distance, and it turns, red eyes focusing on me. As it begins to attack, there is a weight around my middle, dragging me to the ground, where I feel a sharp pain, then everything fades to black._

My head feels as though Lucivar and I have been going through rounds with bladed sticks, and it's a painful feeling. The boy, Ryou, I believe he introduced himself as, has gone to find Bakura, meaning I've managed to find him after all. I don't exactly know what has happened, but I am glad to have found Bakura.

"Jaenelle." I turn at the sound of my name, knowing the voice speaking it belonged to Bakura. I may not have seen him in years, but that does not mean that I will have forgotten his voice. He stands in the doorway, looking nearly the same as he had when I first met him. He seems thinner now, and far more tired, and _solid_. He never had that solidity when we first met. Perhaps it was because we were in the Darkness at the time.

I sit up, smiling at him. There's something else about him, something different. It isn't just that he's solid, or tired, or even that he's thinner, though the thinness is something I'm slightly worried about. There's...a darkness _inside_ of him. The darkness around him, it's gone, mostly, but now, he's so dark inside.

"Bakura...What's happened to you?" He blinks, and the tall, brunette standing behind him blinks as well. I wonder who Bakura's friend is...But that is not the important thing at the moment. Right now, I need to find out why the Darkness is inside of him. I'm not even worried about his thin form now, because that comes from the Darkness eating away at a person. He simply needs to eat more.

Bakura steps further into the small room and the brunette has to catch him before he falls. So he's more than tired, he's exhausted. That's likely caused by the hunger his body must be feeling as well as the wear of the Darkness on him. I can't call it his power, because they don't have Jewels here, and besides, when I had last seen Bakura, he couldn't have been more than an Ebon-Grey.

The brunette settles Bakura down facing me, and sits beside him. Bakura casts him a glare, but judging from the look in the brunette's icy blue eyes, he couldn't care if Bakura ordered him to leave. The brunette reminds me of Lucivar, in that aspect. Or any of the males I know. They don't listen to anything when they're in fussing mode.

"What are you doing here, Jaenelle?" Bakura has apparently given up on glaring at the brunette, and has returned to staring at me. I don't think I've ever truly feared what I've seen in Bakura's eyes, and when I first met him, his crimson eyes were full of animalistic hate and rage, but now...Now I fear his eyes, for they show weariness. A weariness that could eventually lead him to giving up on life.

"I came to see you." It is a simple answer, and the true answer. I have come to see him. Now, I need to figure out a way to help him. "What's happening here? What's happened to you?" I can't help but ask. I need to know what's happened. Now that I think about it, where did that ring he always wore go? It was his connection to the Darkness, if what I sensed about it was correct. It wasn't necessarily a reservoir like the Jewels are, but it still held the power that Bakura could tap into. "And what happened to you ring?"

"She knows about the Ring?" The brunette asks, the first thing he's said so far.

Bakura shrugs. "She did see me wearing it when she visited." Bakura answers. "Jaenelle, this is Seto Kaiba." Seto Kaiba...The names sound much different than they did the last time I visited. Perhaps we're in a different part of Bakura's Realm, where they name themselves differently? It's like that in Terreille and Kaeleer too. The most notable naming differences are with the Eryiens.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Seto Kaiba." I say, smiling slightly at him. Part of me is extremely curious about their relationship, but I'm far too worried about Bakura to bring that up. "Bakura, you're not answering my questions." I turn back to interrogating Bakura. I have to remind myself that men do not serve in this Realm, so pestering them are the only way to ensure an answer.

"Haven't changed much, have you, Jaenelle." Bakura comments wryly before running a hand through his hair. It looks as though he hasn't been able to wash it in awhile. "I suppose I'd better answer you, or else you'll never let anything drop. We've...Well, you saw it. That was Zorc. He's taken over our Realm. We're hiding out down here, in one of the last shelters in the city. I should know, I helped set up most of the shelters, along with Seto here.

"As for me, there's little food and a lot of stress to be had here at the moment. So you really should get back to your own Realm. Besides, judging by the ring on your finger, you've got a husband panicking about you back there." He smirks as I flush slightly. How did he know that I didn't tell Daemon that I was coming here? A typical Bakura thing, I suppose. He was always good at seeing things that others didn't, and at making connections that others hadn't.

"My husband aside, you didn't answer the question about your ring." I point out, motioning to where it used to hang. "It's strange, not seeing it around your neck."

Bakura doesn't hear the rest of my statement about how strange it was to not see the ring, because he passes out while I motion at his chest. Seto catches him as he collapses, gritting his teeth at the sight. I start to move towards them, but Seto shakes his head.

"He's all right. He just hasn't slept well in awhile, mostly because he's out on reconnaissance missions all the time. He doesn't like to let anyone else do them because if they die, they stay that way." Seto says, his eyes on Bakura's face, searching it for something. I think he's watching for any sign that Bakura is in pain.

"...Can you tell me what happened to the ring?" I ask quietly. I don't know why, but there's something about the missing ring that is making me nervous. Far more nervous than I probably should be, but sometimes, it pays to listen to your instincts.

Seto glances up at me, then looks down at Bakura's chest and traces where the ring would normally be with one of his long fingers. "It's still here. Bakura jumped in front of Ryou when Zorc was attacking him, and the Ring was fused with his body. During the time Bakura recuperated from the attack, the Ring was absorbed into Bakura's body. So it's still there."

I stare at the finger still tracing Bakura's chest, my mind swirling around what Seto has told me. The Ring is inside of Bakura...The mediator that Bakura had to reach the Darkness is inside of him...The Darkness is inside of him..."Oh, Merciful Darkness. We need to get him back to my Kaeleer."

A/N: Well? Hope you like!

Next Chapter:

-Bakura-


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Firefly

By: KuroSakura-chan/KuroSakura

Summary: When Jaenelle had been a child, she wandered the Realms. Thus, she met Lucivar, Saetan, and the others. What she hadn't mentioned to anyone was her few trips to another Realm, one that wasn't connected to Terreille, Kaeleer, and Hell the same way. After the war with Dorothea and Hekatah is completed, what will she find in that world she visited so long ago? What has happened to the friend that she made? And how can she help him now?

Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!/Black Jewels

Genre: Angst, Drama, Horror, Tragedy

Couples: Daemon/Jaenelle, Lucivar/Marian, Seto/Bakura, Marik/Ryou, Malik/Otogi,

Warnings: Yaoi, violence, het, 1st Person,

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! nor Anne Bishop's Black Jewels.

_Italics_: Flashbacks/dreams

/_italics_/: Mind speak, like Bakura to Ryou, or Daemon to Lucivar

…

-Bakura-

What is it with pain and sleep? Too much pain and it'd knock you out like a slap from Obelisk. But once you're below that threshold, but still in pain, it'd drag your ass back to the realm of consciousness. Which, of course, reminded you that whatever you did to gain such pain hurt like a bitch.

And so, the words that spill from my lips once I am conscious enough to form them are "Mother-fucking-whore-of-a-bitch." All in a groan, of course.

"Well, he's in a cheery mood." A male voice comments from my left. His voice is like silk across my skin...which just makes me groan again. I _hate_ people who can turn someone one with just their voices. There is so much more to sex than a voice, after all.

"He swears like Surreal after Lucivar has dumped her in a lake." This voice is Jaenelle's. Good. I can relax just a little, now that I know at least one of the people in the room.

"You probably shouldn't let her hear you say that." The male voice says, amusement lacing his tone. Amusement and something else. Something tender and gentle and...Love. That's what it is. This man must be Jaenelle's husband, because he loves her more than life itself. It's obvious.

"Holy shit, Ryou's right!" I exclaim before I can stop myself, sitting up. My eyes shoot open before I groan, being hit with the pain again. "Fuck..." I moan, collapsing back onto the bed. Though, I see Seto in the room before my eyes close again, so I'm feeling better about this situation.

Though I have no idea as to where I am. The room, what I have glimpsed of it anyway, doesn't look familiar. Still, Jaenelle and Seto are here, so I'll stay calm for the moment. I can't let myself panic yet. Not until I know more of the situation. I just don't have the energy to panic for no reason.

"What the hell was that about?" Jaenelle asks, confusion evident in her voice.

"He had a revelation, and clearly not one he wanted. What is Ryou right about, Bakura?" Seto questions, and I feel the bed dip as he sits beside me.

I groan again, but not out of pain. I just don't want to explain. I feel Seto shift, and I sigh before he has the chance to demand to know what I know. "He says that when someone is truly in love with another person, you can hear it in their voice. Listening to what must be Jaenelle's husband proved that."

Seto is silent for a moment. "Why is that something you don't want proven?"

Jaenelle giggles, and I can hear a deep chuckle from the husband. "Oh, it makes complete sense." The man states, trying to assure Seto. But I know Seto, and I know that as soon as the two of us are alone, he's going to demand an explanation. I'd be worried if he didn't. He's going to let it go for now, though. He won't start one of our games while others are around, unless we know the other people very well. Plus, it's fun to torment people while we play. Marik has given up trying to understand our games. Hurts his brain too much.

Marik...Ryou! I sit up again, wincing, but otherwise ignoring the pain to pin a glare on Seto. "Where's Ryou? Malik, Marik, where are they all?" I don't know where I am, so how the hell am I supposed to know where they are? I don't truly think that Seto would allow Ryou or the others to be left in danger, but..."Dammit, Seto, where are they?!" I can't make myself keep calm at the moment.

"Two rooms over." Seto answers, his eyes trained on mine. He hasn't reached out to hold me in place, and I appreciate that. I would simply panic more if he did. He also answers me calmly. He was expecting this panic. And knowing that calms me down more than if he'd just brought Ryou into the room. Ra, I really love this man sometimes. Not that I'm likely to ever admit it.

_/Ryou?/_ I call out to him. I have to double-check, of course. I can normally take Seto's word for everything, but at certain points, I need confirmation, or I'll snap. I'm sure Seto knows that I'm confirming his answer, but I doubt he's upset about it. He knows what I need in these situations.

_/'Kura? You're awake? Oh, good! I'm so glad! Seto seemed so panicked, and Jaenelle had insisted that we follow her to this Kaeleer place so we could take care of you! Are you all right? Do you think they'll let me visit you soon? I don't think I'll be calm until I see you're all right.../_ Ryou responds quickly. His voice in my head actually causes me a bit of pain, but the utter feeling of calm just hearing his voice gives me overrides all of that.

_/Good...You're only a couple rooms over...I'll see if they'll let me see you soon. I'm still just waking up./_ I tell him. I can feel his happiness flow through our link, replacing all of his worry.

_/Mm-kay!/_ He answers. I know he's telling Marik and the others what he's learned.

I allow my eyes to focus on Seto again, because I haven't been able to use my link with Ryou and hold a physical conversation since the Ring fused with me. He is looking at me patiently. Jaenelle and her husband aren't speaking, though I assume they're definitely looking on. I give a sigh, letting my shoulders slump, showing my return to relaxation. As much as I ever relax around strangers, or since Zorc took over, at all.

I turn, finally managing to ignore my pain enough to move around. First, I look at Jaenelle in all of her blond glory, then I look at her husband. He's the one unnerving me the most. I don't know the man, and he was around me while I was unconscious and the most vulnerable. I almost suck in my breath when I see the man.

Thick black hair that accentuates the golden-brown skin. It is the type of thick hair that people like to grip and hold on to. His skin looks silky, and I am tempted to touch him. Golden eyes, and I understand why his voice was so sensual. The entire man is like sex embodied. What the hell is going on?

Fuck am I glad I'm too damn tired to be aroused.

I look to Seto, wondering if he sees what I see. He gives me the small smirk meaning that he is laughing at me. Figures. He knows what I am seeing, and he didn't feel it necessary to warn me. Of course not. I can see how Seto is ignoring this man's affect, considering Seto has been denying his urges for years. I, on the other hand, am not quite so good at that.

"Bakura, this is my husband, Daemon." Jaenelle introduces, and I turn to the man of beauty again. The smile he gives me is honest, or would be, if it reached his golden eyes. It doesn't, however. Instead, his eyes give me a look of wariness. It's probably not the first time that Jaenelle has brought strangers here, but he doesn't trust us, or maybe it's just me. Well, the feeling is mutual, which I would tell him. If Jaenelle weren't in the room. No need to upset the girl. "Daemon, this is Bakura. A friend from many years ago."

Something in Daemon's eyes changes then. What was it that flashed through those golden depths...? Jealousy? I wouldn't be surprised. I open my mouth to do the polite thing, or to say whatever comes to mind first, only to be cut off by the door being shoved in and slammed against the wall.

I hear Jaenelle mutter "Oh Hell..." under her breath as a presence of pure anger storms into the room. Brown skin, black wings, and a snarling face are what I see first. The wings certainly make an impression, after all. I've never seen a real person with wings. Seto shifts beside me, and I wonder if he's got one of those guns he's so proud of, because he's certainly in a defensive position now. I can't help but feel myself slip into a defensive position as well, but I'm paranoid, and this male seems to be promising vengeance for something.

Daemon turns leisurely, as though he was expecting this. Jaenelle is a bit slower in turning, chagrin on her face. The male is still snarling, his golden eyes trained on Jaenelle. She doesn't seem threatened, so I'm not sure if I should necessarily be threatened, but until something about this situation makes sense, I'm not giving up my defense. Daemon just smirks lazily at the new male. He didn't seem to feel threatened at all.

"Jaenelle..." A dark tone slips past the lips of the new male. There is silence for a few moments, and I can feel the tension building. It's going to be a large explosion, especially once the winged-male gets to his point. He'll have to, or the anger will become too much. I should know. "Tell me you cleared your disappearance with Daemon, or someone, before you left."

"Well, Ladvarian..." Jaenelle doesn't get much further than that before the male snarls.

"Ladvarian? You didn't even tell your own husband before wandering off, leaving us with no idea on where to find you, and absolutely no presence?!" There's the explosion I've been expecting. His wings spread out behind him, and before I can think, my instinct screams to protect myself.

Jaenelle turns to me, horrified, her mouth opening widely. "Bakura, no!" But then, I feel a push through my chest, and I black out again.

A/N: Damn, that took forever to type...College has been eating my time, so it's hard for me to get new things out. Sorry! I'm still working, though, so please forgive me!

Next chapter:

-Saetan-


End file.
